Over the last ten years, it has become evident that the demographic dividend framework offers a strategic basis for focusing and prioritizing investments in people in general and youth in particular, in order to achieve sustainable development. The demographic dividend framework is in line with Africa’s Agenda 2063 and its’ ‘First Ten-Year Implementation Plan’ which together lay a strong foundation for the vision of African leaders in all facets of the continent’s development.

ABIDJAN/DAKAR/NEW YORK/GENEVA, 5 December 2017 – More than four decades into the HIV epidemic, four in five children living with HIV in West and Central Africa are still not receiving life-saving antiretroviral therapy, and AIDS-related deaths among adolescents aged 15-19 are on the rise, according to a new report released today.

Abidjan, 16 November, 2017 - A newly released nutrition report by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa has revealed that undernutrition is still persistent in the region and the number of stunted children has increased. The Africa Nutrition Report, launched today in Abidjan, Ivory Coast also indicates that a growing number of children under five years old are overweight.

On Monday 16 October 2017 the Council adopted the EU Annual Report on Human Rights And Democracy in the World in 2016.

2016 was a challenging year for human rights and democracy, with a shrinking space for civil society and complex humanitarian and political crises emerging. In this context, the European Union showed leadership and remained strongly committed to promote and protect human rights and democracy across the world.

At the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in Istanbul in May 2016, global leaders came together to express their commitment to place people at the centre of decision-making and action. In doing so, they reaffirmed that the scale of current humanitarian issues required greater international cooperation. The Summit triggered a major shift in how the global community will work closer together to prevent and respond to human suffering.

• Many countries across the African continent face recurrent complex emergencies, frequent food insecurity, cyclical drought, and sudden-onset disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and storms. In FY 2016, as in previous years, USAID/OFDA not only responded to urgent needs resulting from disasters, but also supported DRR programs that built resilience and improved emergency preparedness, mitigation, and response capacity at local, national, and regional levels.

Foreword

As we write this, Africa is suffering from the strongest El Niño it has faced in decades, causing major floods and droughts throughout Africa, leading to rising economic losses and major impacts on the lives and livelihoods of millions across the continent. Countries across the continent are declaring states of emergency, and are calling on the international community for support.

Gender inequality is costing sub-Saharan Africa on average $US95 billion a year, peaking at US$105 billion in 2014– or six percent of the region’s GDP – jeopardising the continent’s efforts for inclusive human development and economic growth, according to the Africa Human Development Report 2016.

The African Public Health Emergency Fund (APHEF or the Fund) was established by the Regional Committee in 2012 with the aim of providing catalytic resources for initiating timely responses to public health emergencies. Ever since, commitments have been made at every subsequent Regional Committee session to improve the functionality of this solidarity fund.

Aid workers carry out life-saving often in dangerous and difficult circumstances. Over the past 16 years, 427 aid workers were killed, wounded or kidnapped in West and Central Africa. The number of victims follows a worrying upward trend with spikes in attacks recorded in recent years. Countries with the highest number of victims are the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, Chad and Mali. The majority of victims were national staff, who account for the bulk of humanitarian workers and are often the most exposed to risks

 Below average precipitation and drought have raged since last year on the SADC region, the outlook for the remaining months of the current season indicated below average precipitation very likely over most of the eastern part of the region including Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, easternmost of Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and the center of Madagascar. The drought situation and related consequences will persist during the coming months.